


Paraguay's Box

by TT_Angst_Queen



Series: New Beginnings [3]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Episode: s15e01 House Divided, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Post-Paraguay, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-17 00:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13647345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TT_Angst_Queen/pseuds/TT_Angst_Queen
Summary: Tony had walked on eggshells around Gibbs after he and Tali returned to DC for two months.But something had to give.(AKA I broke down and watched season 15 and was very upset that Gibbs' trauma was passed over and he was shitting rainbows instead of shedding tears from his ordeal. And I wanted to fix that.)





	Paraguay's Box

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheSleepyProducer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSleepyProducer/gifts), [cutsycat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/gifts), [Vt_girl1701](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vt_girl1701/gifts), [bobdog54](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobdog54/gifts), [ShadowWolfsDen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowWolfsDen/gifts).



The last two months since Christmas Eve had been both an eye-opener and a work in patience for Tony. Gibbs showing up at his door looking like he had gone through hell and just barely survived had shaken Tony, even if he had tried to hide it.

 

The retired Agent didn't ask why Gibbs had a new scar dangerously close to his right eye, nor did he wonder why Gibbs never wore less than a full sleeved shirt or hoodie and never shorts, even when he went to bed. 

 

Tony didn't ask why he would hear Gibbs muffled screams in the middle of the night, not enough to wake Tali, but then nothing was. Tony only knew because Gibbs went to bed early, on the nights he slept over in Tony's guest room, and Tony went to bed pretty late, a habit still ingrained from his years working under the very man who now caused him so much worry. 

 

Tony never asked why Gibbs refused to take a shower, only a bath, and the one time Tony had playfully splashed water on his face, the older man had gone white as a sheet and ran out of the apartment like hell was on his heels and the devil to follow. 

 

Tony never mentioned the fact that Gibbs hadn't returned for a few days, and when he did, he avoided any water like it was the plau- like it had cooties, even taking sponge baths for two weeks, until Tali had mentioned innocently that, “ _ Papa Gibbs smelled bad _ ”. 

 

Gibbs had taken a bath minutes later.

 

Tony never mentioned it took him an hour before Tony heard Gibbs actually get in the water, and even then he was in and out as fast as possible. 

 

Tony didn't mention that Gibbs had waited till Tali had gone to bed before coming out of the bathroom, sat down on the couch, while Tony watched a movie and Gibbs stared into space, his eyes blank and small tremors shaking the too-thin body. 

 

Tony didn't ask why Gibbs looked at every bit of food like it was pure gold, and only ate  _ exactly _ half of every plate, down to the number of vegetables, even if he had to cut one in half.

 

Tony didn't ask why.

 

He didn't mention anything.

 

He didn't dig.

 

For two months he walked on eggshells around the man, his lover, worried that the slightest wrong move could break the fragile seeming man and the newley mended relationship they had started.

 

But something had to give.

 

When Tali had asked him why Papa was so scared and sad all the time, Tony knew he had to ask.

 

But he didn't want to ask Gibbs, because he knew the man would either run, or break into a thousand pieces. 

 

Tony needed to know what happened, and from Gibbs’ stories, there was one person that had changed and stepped up, matured and gotten better. Someone who had had his lover's six when he had ran away, and had become an amazing agent.

 

Someone who had called Tony a week before and apologized for everything.

 

He called Tim.

 

* * *

 

 

“ _ Hey Tony, what's up? Haven't heard from you since, I uh, broke rule six. _ ”

 

Tony sighed, glad that Gibbs was currently sleeping, for once, peacefully and deeply. 

 

“ _ Tony? Everything ok? _ ” 

 

Rubbing his face, scowling when he bumped his glasses, big black clunky frames that Tali had picked out for him.

 

“Yeah, uh, I'm fine Tim.” Tony muttered, and winced when he heard Tim suck in a breath. He forgot that everyone knew that when Tony said 'I’m fine’, he really, really wasn't. 

 

“ _ Tony, is it-is it Tali? Is she ok? _ ” Tim sounded scared, and Tony remembered that his former probie had grown up and gotten himself a pair of Twins himself, Morgan and John McGee. Tim now had intimate knowledge of just what a man could and would do for his children.

 

“Yeah Tim,” Tony reassured him, “Tali is perfect, I’m… Ok.” He heard Tim let of a relieved sigh, but then pause when the last part registered.

 

“ _ But something  _ **_is_ ** _ wrong, isn't it, Tony? Are you in trouble? Need help?”  _

 

“It's-” Tony's breath hitched, hesitant to divulge Gibbs’ struggles, even if it was for his own good. “It's Gibbs, McGee. He showed up when I moved back, and he apologized for everything, we… made up. But something's wrong with him, Tim. He's different, scared. He’s underweight and scarred, he has nightmares and he freaks out when water hit his face. He won't wear anything that reveals more skin than his face and his hands, one of his fingers are crooked. He blanks out at times, and he-” Tony tried to cut it off, but two months of being scared for his lover helped the sob to fly from his lips. “He’s scaring me, Tim. I want to help him, but I do that even know why he's, why he's broken,” 

 

Tony let himself sob for a few minutes, releasing two months worth of worry and fear. When he heard Tim's almost frantic breaths over the line, he called his name.

 

“ _ Yeah, Tony, yeah I'm good. I- I know what's wrong with Gibbs. The only reason more people don't is that Vance kept it from reaching the news and the papers. _ ”

 

Tony had a sudden feeling that this was going to be big, that it would change a lot. He wasn't sure he was ready for it. Looking back at the past two months, at the silent, unspoken agony hiding behind tired blue pools. 

 

“Tim...what happened when I left?” Tony placed his hand on his mouth, Bracing himself for whatever he was about to learn, listening carefully, and relaxing only slightly when he heard Gibbs’ soft snores.

 

“ _ After you left, Gibbs went through so many probies, always finding something wrong with them. Granted, _ ” Tim admitted, “ _ Some of them  _ **_were_ ** _ pretty useless, one of them even would fall asleep five times a day, honestly I really don't understand how he was accepted as an agent in the first place with that problem. _ ” Tim huffed out a breath, and Tony could hear a slight smile in his voice. “ _ Then we found Deep Cover Agent Nick Torres. Man, Tony. He's like if you and I were Spanish and had a baby, and Gibbs raised him. He's a great Agent, good friend. Gibbs was almost lifeless before he came around, and then Gibbs had a new project; Torres. He needed to learn how to work as a team, how to learn to trust and lean on your teammates. Clayton Reaves is on our team now, a British Guy from MI5, he's cool too. After Torres, and Reaves, Gibbs started to get better. And Gibbs and I, he's filled that father spot that missing in me. We became closer. Gibbs started to get better. Not back to normal, but- better. He had people surrounding him that needed his help, his guidance, almost like we needed it when- when Kate was still here. _ ” 

 

Tony was more than happy to hear that Gibbs had a great Agent like Nicholas Torres watch his six along with Tim. He was happy that Gibbs had gotten better. But Tim's words so far confused him; if Gibbs had been getting better, why did Tony have an almost empty shell of a man sleeping in his guest bedroom? 

 

“Tim, that doesn't sound like the man that's sleeping in my guest bedroom.” Tony pointed out, irritated.

 

“ _ Yeah, Tony. I know. Things were going great, until Paraguay. _ ” 

 

And so Tony was told the whole story.

 

Every day and night of the two men's torture and captivity.

 

Every scream, every cut, every time Gibbs was waterboarded and hit. 

 

Tony listened with a dawning horror and realization that it would be a long time till Gibbs would be ok, if ever.

 

But he was determined to help Gibbs. 

 

He was determined that his lover would get better.

 

Because what other option was there?

 


End file.
